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Ait Bas Draoi
Summary Ait Bas Draoi, or Place of Wizard Death; a cursed island on the northern fringe of Leviatha, inhabited by the descendents of the Banished (ancient wizard clans exiled from all parts of Cetemar), new prisoners brought by the victors of the Last War of Expurgation, and their jailers. By an ancient, incredibly powerful curse, magic is suppressed on Ait Bas Draoi, to the point that even casting the simplest cantrip can cause agony to the user. The curse on the island is notably fickle, strong in some areas, and weakened in others. It can kill some mages for even thinking of a spell, while letting others cast and survive. Ait Bas Draoi is now run cooperatively by nations of the Truce; the Midian Empire, the Aquethaini, the Cete tribes, the Hegemon, Frae Castyls, and the Pintari Magearchy. These nations use the island to house defeated wizards from the war; as well as rebels in their own country. They fund an order of wardens known as the Torrwyr o Mag, the Mage Breakers. The Mage Breakers are an elite order of warriors, monks, bards, and assassins who guard the most dangerous wizards. The Torrwyr o Mag on occasion, are sent to capture rogue mages and witches. The jailers of the island have constructed two towers for their most challenging prisoners, Tor Basheth and Tor Gnym. Category:Cultures Category:Mage Schools Location Ait Bas Draoi is located west of the Froestspur in Northern Leviatha, bordered to the north and west by the Mar al Shiro, and to the south by the Mar al Iparlantza. The island is in winter for most of the year. The rest is a summer of endless days of either roaring wind or mosquito-ridden calm. Estimated Numbers The total population of the island falls between 1,500 to 2,000 souls. Descendants of the Banished account for half the population. The remainder are guards and new prisoners. Humans: ~1000 Dwarf and gnomic: ~200 Fey: ~200 Other: ~100 Known Towns Tor Basheth The Tower of Shame; Tor Basheth is made of bricks of volcanic glass, mortared with the ash of burnt books and scrolls. The glass is smooth on the outsiden of the tower, but scraped and pitted on the inside. All light that enters is shifted to a weak, dun tone, creating a sepia coloration. The light washes out all symbols, makes reading difficult, and gestures indistinct. Furthermore, the volcanic glass intensifies the heat of the light, creating a tower that is perpetually humid, covered in slime and mold, and very destructive to any smuggled parchment--and clothing for that matter. The prisoners are mostly naked, so that any tattooing or scarification (for spell power) can be detected. Mages relying on movement, touch, or symbols for casting are held here. The tower is thought to hold up to 500 mages, with a detachment of 50 guards. Tor Gnym The Tower of Lamentation, Tor Gnym is said to be made of iron ore, mortared with crushed giant bone. When it rains heavily the tower bleeds red, as the iron leaches out. The tower has special acoustic properties as well. If a spell is cast, the walls distort or diffuse it, revereberating it painfully into the speaker's ear. Mages who use any form of sound in their spell casting are imprisoned here. There are thought to be between 100-200 mages in the tower at any given time, with a detachment of 25 guards. Wizard's Woe The town of Wizard's Woe is the entry point of the island prison. Prisoners are processed in, and on rare occasion, released out of the Ait Bas Droi through the town's walls. The entire town is built in wyrm wood and nailed using dwarven iron, significantly weakening spell casting. No mirrors or reflective metals are used in the town either (limiting the chance of plane-jumping, teleportation, or calling forth daemons). The free population of Wizard's Woe consists primarily of spell-resistant peoples, dwarves, gnomes, as well as heavily-trained human monks. There are also a few special guards, who are completely magic resistant, used to work with the most difficult of mages. A wizard prisoner is typically "en-casked" (bound and gagged in a large barrel) and never sees the town before they are shipped off to the prison towers of Tor Basheh and Tor Gnym. The permanent residency of Wizard's Woe is in the low hundreds. Allies The Nations of the Truce. Category:Cultures Category:Mage Schools Foes The Mage Schools want to have Ait Bas Draoi destroyed and its prisoners released. Unallied mages hate the colony as well. Characters The Honored Isenlyse, Lady of the Isle Isenlyse is the political ruler of Ait Bas Draoi. She is small, gray, a rather homely woman, rumored to have dwarven blood. The only item on her person that marks her as the ruler is a small silvered hammer bound at her waist and a calico cloak of pelts and feathers (thought to be killed animal familiars). Under this unassuming guise, is a woman of great power. Isenlyse has final say on who, prisoner or free man, may enter or leave the island fortress. She also controls all messages, diplomacy--and signs off on warrants for capture. Sir Preto Martel, Chief Warden Sir Martel is the head of the Mage Breakers. He is olive skinned, with piercing green eyes; middle aged, sporting a large burn scar across his left arm. Sir Martel's most noted feature is his full body tattoo: a maze of swirling blue lines and webbing.* A famous duelest, Sir Martel earned the wrath of Midian generals and nobility alike, for killing their champions and an occasional heir. His punishment, a lifetime post at Ait Bas Draoi. *The tattoo is an "arall dyn," or "other man." The ink is a concoction of dragon scale, rare herbs, and the blood of a magic resistant race (the donor must be killed). The tattoo takes months of agonizing, sometimes fatal work on the wearer. And it requires the powers of a rare mage or cleric who knows the rite. The arall dyn tattoo absorbs almost all magical attacks away from the wearer; and serves as a permanent mark of power and prestige. Afaesias the Questioner Afaesias is more feared by the mage prisoners than the Warden or the Lady, for he is the head interrogator of Ait Bas Droi. He is a half-elven eunech; pale, soft-skinned; fond of wearing expensive cloth, despite the savage weather. With a gentle voice and inquisitive eyes, Afaesias breaks mages' minds. Afaesias is a savant. He knows a vast array of spells, is versed in hundreds of faiths and philosophies. And his tome of knowledge is an arsenal. Afaesis can counter most spells with a word or gesture. And, over hours and days of conversation, he can slowly manipulate the mage's mind until they can no longer utter a word, stammering to find their own names. Category:Cultures Category:Mage Schools